1. Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment Update
Tuesday, May 31, 2016

2. Verona Public Schools Mission Statement
“The mission of the Verona Public Schools, the center of an engaged and supportive community, is to empower students to achieve their potential as active learners and productive citizens through rigorous curricula and meaningful, enriching experiences.”
District Mission Statement: emphasize active learning, responsibility, evolving curriculum, and transfer of learning.

3. Verona Student Growth Objectives (Year #3) Road Map of Success - “End of the Road” (20%)
We have completed our SGOs - year 3. We will review and make adjustments when we meet in the summer. Ideas … September 30 - Assessments will be shared (pre and post), everyone will have a mid-point check-in in February, and scale will be more rigorous.

4. 2015-16 Teacher Evaluation Update
Domain 1: Classroom Strategies & Behaviors (70%)
Formal Observations
We formally observed our teachers over 450 times!
The average district score for formal observations was 3.24.
Effective (applying) score range for teachers is

5. 2015-16 Teacher Evaluation Update
Domain 1: Classroom Strategies & Behaviors (70%)
Walk-Through Observations
Our Administrative Team have visited each teacher’s classroom on a regular basis to provide instant feedback in between formal observations.
Over 900 walk-throughs have been completed from September to May!
Feedback continues to be positive, supportive, and constructive.

6. 2015-16 Teacher Evaluation Update
Final Evaluations
Domain 2: Planning and Preparation (10%)
Element 43: Lessons within Units (Stage 3 of UbD)
Submission two sequential weeks of lesson plans, formal observations & post-conferences, walk-throughs, follow-ups
Domain 3: Reflecting on Teaching (10%)
Element 54: Monitoring Progress Relative to the Professional Growth and Development Plan
Review your PDP and discuss how you have made progress/met your goals

7. 2015-16 Teacher Evaluation Update
Final Evaluations (continued)
Domain 4: Collegiality and Professionalism (10%)
Element 55: Promoting Positive Interactions with Colleagues that Promote and Support Student Learning
Principal and supervisor observations & conversations throughout the school year
Element 56: Promoting Positive Interactions with Students and Parents
Teachers share communication ( , phone calls, letters, etc.) from the school year
Element 59: Adhering to District and School Rules and Procedures

8. VHS Advanced Placement Participation since 2009
46.8% of VHS Students
New for :
AP Physics I
AP Principles of Computer Science
AP Micro-Economics
38.4% of VHS Students
14.5% of VHS Students
AP Participation since 2009, we discussed at January 5th meeting …
Blue = # of AP students and Red = # AP Tests administered
Steady increase in each of the bar graphs … this May 2016, we will have

9. VHS Dual Enrollment since 2013-14
Discuss last three years of numbers, we are offering six different dual enrollment classes; we are adding a seventh course, SUPA Business Law
SUPA Accounting 10 14 15
AP Calculus AB 2 -
AP Comp Sci 11
Careers in Education 4 5 3
Core English I 38 57 55
SUPA Entrepeneurship 20 12 22
SUPA Psychology 25
SUPA Creative Non-Fiction
SUPA Business Law 19
Total: 63
122
101 98

10. Google Teacher Academy Update
Cohort #1 ( teachers)
Met monthly sharing ideas, experiences, triumphs, frustrations, and learning new ideas to enhance the classroom experience for the students.
Leading differentiated professional development to other staff members who are curious and would like to learn more about Google and its educational applications.
Integrating curriculum, instruction, assessment, and technology in their classrooms.

11. Google Teacher Academy Update
Cohort #2 ( teachers)
We welcome 19 new staff members:
Elementary = 10
Brookdale = 1, FNB = 5, Forest = 2, Laning = 2
HBW = 7
Science = 2, ELA = 2, Math = 1, Art = 1, TE&D= 1
VHS = 2
Science = 1, ELA = 1
Summer professional Ramsey, July 13 & 14

12. Orton Gillingham Training Update
Partnering with Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) to provide training and certification to eight (8) staff members in our first cohort.
Orton-Gillingham is a direct, multisensory structured, phonetic approach to teaching reading.
Our teachers completed Courses 1 & 2 this year, and are scheduled to complete Course 3 in the fall and Course 4 in the Spring, which will complete the certification program.
We are anticipating the classes will continue to meet on Tuesdays at 3:45 pm in the HBW Media Center.
Orton Gillingham tutoring will continue for sixteen (16) students next year.

13. PARCC Update
Our plan for year #2 was a successful implementation for teachers and students …
Verona was granted a waiver to adjust 30 day testing window.
Maximize the use of our technology
AP Exams were administered 1st ... PARCC 2nd … at VHS
PARCC Assessments will be administered during ONE testing window.
4 ELA and 3 Math assessment units
Weeks #1-2: Elementary; Weeks #3-5: HBW; Weeks #6-7: VHS
Objectives of PARCC Assessment
College and Career Ready
Measures Common Core
Asks all of the standards
Uses technology

14. Curricula Initiatives 2016-17
New Course Offerings & Curriculum beginning in September 2016
VHS
Business
AP Micro-Economics
Business Law
Marketing, Advertising & Sales
Vocal
Striking a New Chord (elective)
Chamber Choir (offered during lunch/activity)
Health & Physical Education
Grades Choices & Options

15. Humanities

16. Elementary Academic Coach
Two full time elementary positions
FN Brown/ Forest & Laning/Brookdale
What was the goal of the Academic Coach?
Reinforce & Support struggling readers
Share instructional strategies with teachers
What type of support did the Academic Coach provide?
Push In &/Or Pull out support
Who did the Academic Coaches work with this school year?
Students from Grades One through Four (102 students)
Sumit, please update

17. Reading Workshop (K-5) District Focus: Small Group Instruction
Why? Help students process a variety of increasingly challenging texts.

18. New VHS Course Offerings
Humanities/ Speech Arts
Sumit, please update for next year,

19. Research Across the Disciplines
Sumit, please update

20. School Year

21. Technology, Engineering, & Design (TE&D)

22. CONGRATULATIONS PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNERS!
Rube Goldberg
CONGRATULATIONS PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNERS!
Division I - Construction Site, H.B. Whitehorne Middle School, Verona, NJ

23. Rube Goldberg

24. VHS Technology, Engineering, & Design (TE&D)
Engineering Pathway
STEM, STEAM, CAD I, Applied Engineering, TE&D Capstone
Architecture Pathway
STEM, CAD I, CAD II, TE&D Capstone
Fabrication Pathway
STEM, FAB I, FAB II, TE&D Capstone

25. VHS Compter Science
AP CompSci Principles
Harvard CS50

26. HBW Technolgy, Engineering, & Design (TE&D)
Updated Course Offerings: Grades 5-8
5: Introduction to TE&D
6: Innovations
7: Future City
8: Rube Goldberg

28. NJ NGSS Implementation Timeline
Adopted by NJDOE July 2014
Full Implementation:
Grades 6-12 September 2016
Grades K-5 September 2017

29. Elementary STC kits for 16-17
Solids and Liquids
Exploring Plants and Animals
Exploring my Weather
2nd
Changes
Life Cycle of the Butterfly
Energy Works
3rd
Motion and Design
Organisms
Plant Growth and Development
4th
Microworlds
Rocks and Minerals
Animal Studies

30. HBW STC kits for 16-17 5th Exploring the Properties of Matter
Working With Motors and Simple Machines
Ecosystems
6th
Experimenting with Forces and Motion
Structure and Function
Earth's Dynamic Systems
7th
Understanding Weather & Climate
Matter and It's Interactions
Ecosystem Interactions
8th
Electrity, Waves and Information Transfer
Genes & Molecular Machines
Space Systems Exploration

31. VHS Science New Course: AP Physics I
NGSS Alignment and Implementation:
Biology
Environmental Science
Chemistry
Physics
Revising content coverage and merging ideas in new ways
Open inquiries and problems solving
Researching best practices to integrate engineering (especially in Biology and Environmental Science)

33. Verona Math , VHS: AP Calculus Revision/Refinement
HBW Revision/Refinements:
Pathways in Math
Math 5
Math 7
Math 6
Math 8

34. Questions…
Solids and Liquids: The investigations in Solids and Liquids introduce students to two key concepts of physical science—that solids and liquids are two states of matter and that each state of matter has its own identifiable properties.
Changes: Developing their knowledge of states of matter, students learn to describe the properties of solids, liquids, and gases and categorize them by their identifiable properties in Changes. Students investigate the freezing, melting, evaporation, and condensation of water as an introduction to phase change. Rusting, dissolving, crystallization, gases created by effervescent tablets, and ink separated through chromatography are other phase changes students create and observe in the lab.
Motion and Design: The Motion and Design unit combines the physics of forces and motion with technological design. Students use plastic construction materials, weights, rubber bands, and propellers to design and build vehicles, then test how those vehicles respond to different forces of motion, like pushes, pulls, or rubber band energy.
Microworlds: In Microworlds, students explore magnifiers, learning that tools like lenses and microscopes can be used to extend the sense of sight to view objects in greater detail.
Experimenting with Forces and Motion: Forces and energy transformations make the motion of our world possible. Experimenting with Forces and Motion allows students to investigate the nature of energy, the different forms it can take, the nature of different forces, and how those forces affect the motion of objects.
Exploring the Properties of Matter: In Exploring the Properties of Matter, students investigate some basic properties of matter and the use of these properties to distinguish one substance from another. The inquiries in which students engage are designed to develop a deep understanding of the properties of matter, enhance observational and analytical skills, and improve laboratory technique and experimental design.
Understanding Weather and Climate: Understanding Weather and Climate explores the atmospheric events and oceanic processes that dramatically impact the earth and its inhabitants. Students experiment with factors that determine storms and daily weather, explore the impact of oceans on the earth, and examine the influences that produce climate zones and climate changes.
Electricity, Waves, and Information Transfer: In Electricity, Waves, and Information Transfer, students design and test real-world technologies, excellent contexts for investigating electricity, information transfer, and waves characteristics. Additionally, electric circuits make excellent models for studying the role of electricity in an animal’s ability to sense and respond to the environment.